Congratulations to all the participants! All the songs are excellent! They are very close, but it is the little things that differentiated one entry from another. So here is how the scoring broke down:Overall Scores:Ukimalefu -- 199/210Ravenpulse -- 197/210Cryos -- 196/210$lave -- 194/210

These scores are a combination of my ratings and Windbreaker's ratings. A special thanks to him for helping me judge! We agreed in some places, but had different ideas in others. Overall though, I think we scored the music accurately. In the following comments, my ratings will be in light blue, and Windbreaker's ratings will be in green.Ukimalefu -- Total: 199/210Ukiloo Ukipark:

I've played this level some many times that I just chill and fly through it. But I was more than chillin' during this song. The marine has already experienced the whole story line of M1, so he can take on these measly tasks from Durandal right? This song has a nice beat and the music fits together like a puzzle. Good job.

I really liked the structure of this song, and think it fits well will the first level of M2. What made it the highest scoring song was the fact that it reminded me of the original Marathon tracks, with another layer added (more stuff in the song than in the Marathon tracks).

Excellent instrument choice. I could see the textures through these instruments (if that makes any sense). This song takes the ominous tone of the level and mixes it with some creativity and groovyness. The sense of exploration is there, but has an underlying tone of danger. Well done.

Another good song. In my opinion, this one didn't fit as well with Slings' dark environment as some of the others, but it had its moments. Some creativity points were lost because the track seems generally mainstream (as I've said many times before . . . not a bad thing at all, just looking for some variety).

This level has always had that hard-core raunchy feeling to me. It may be the overwhelming use of the orange texture. This song has that raunchy feeling. It makes me feel good, but I was looking for more of an ominous feeling. I felt so good that I ran into a pack of flick'ta and got poo slapped and clawed to death. That's not the outcome I wanted, but that's ok!

This piece is very creative, with lots of musical space throughout. I liked the sparse waterfall effects; it really added to Waterloo's already abundant water-y atmosphere. The only thing I disliked with this track is that it has somewhat of a paradise vibe (not bad at all), which I think doesn't quite fit Waterloo's own windy/stormy nighttime vibe. That is my only complaint with this song!

Durandal sending you to explore a strange world sounds like fun right? And the flick'ta just enhance the experience! I used to be afraid of this level, but I've played it so many times I've gotten used to it. But this song brings that fear back. I'm exploring unknown territory and I know it.

I usually think of some hard-core dominating action when I play this level, but this song approaches the level differently. It's slow-paced, almost forlorn tone, help me see the marathon world from the marine's perspective instead of mine. It is a bit repetitive, but that constant tone really sets the mood for the level.

Much like Ravenpulse's last song, this one remains generally the same throughout its running. The song reminded me of something like a sun rise, very soothing, which I think fits well with Charon being the first level of daylight in M2 (not to mention it looks like the two suns are rising behind the landscape . . .). My only complaint with this song is that it didn't really go anywhere at any time, which is not a bad thing for the song itself, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if I'm going to listen to music while playing, it has to be somewhat interesting because my attention span is so short because I'm playing a video game. There.

I was groovin' so hard to this song that I actually died. Lol. It's definitely a game-opener. I can feel the tension rising as I listen to the music. The volume is a bit too loud though. I can barely hear the game noise, so the level feels more like a music video rather that a video game. That's an easy fix though, well done.

This is one of my favorites out of all the songs I judged. As a composition alone, it builds quite well, and has a great sound overall. The one thing I noticed is that while the song builds almost continually, Waterloo Waterpark itself doesn't really change. There are some battles here and there, but ultimately there is no climax to the level itself, which makes the song and the level contrast somewhat.

Musically, this song is fun to listen to, but I think it missed the mark a bit. Slings & Arrows seems like a slow-paced level, where this song was more upbeat and lively. The beginning sounded a bit cheesy, but that's just my personal taste. The ending sounded great though. I just wish it could have captured the feeling of the level a bit more.Interpretation: 15/20 Musicality: 18/20 Creativity: 10/10 Sound Quality: 10/10 Originality: 5/5 Length: 5/5 Total: 63/70

Aside from the acoustic guitar (which I don't think quite fits with the level) this song sounds a lot like the first one, which might not be a bad thing (depending on what CryoS was going for), but the environments have changed so I think the music should too. My opinion is that the song might have too much going on in it (be like Miles Davis!), considering the level is generally dark, has a little number aliens, and not much variety in architecture. Again, that's just my opinion.

This composition is a little different than the first two of CroyS's in that it centers on the piano and drum machine, instead of the giant orchestra (still there, though). Out of CryoS's three songs, this song fit best with its level (the upbeat tempo at the start, coupled with the sad piano complemented the daylight of the outside settings and the darkness of some of the inside settings, which I thought was nice). Also, the orchestra is prevalent in all of CryoS's songs, which can become repetitive/annoying after a while.

If I had just awakened from a stasis, I would be a bit confused and scared. This song brings those emotions to life. It has an ominous feel to it, which shed a new light on the level for me. Well done.

Do you like sewage levels that are shrouded in darkness? Heh, they creep me out, I'll admit it. Before I left the first room, I was already feeling goosebumps. That's how well this song helps shape the atmosphere of the level. It blends into the level, but it seems a bit too quiet at times. There are wonderful sound effects though, well done!

The atmosphere of the song and the atmosphere of the level go hand in hand in this level. Overall, a very nice piece and in my opinion, better than $lave's first song. Like $lave's first and last songs, this one is calm as well . . . I think there can be more variety.

As I already stated before, I usually associate Charon with terror. This song puts a new twist on it though. The marine is in the unknown, but while the unknown can be frightening, it can also be beautiful too. I feel this hidden beauty while listening to this song.

This piece was about the same speed and volume of $lave's previous two. Like others, there wasn't much to this song, just basically a synth with some additional percussion (very quiet) at the beginning, which subtracted points. Also, the song seems a tad too short.

All of these entries exceeded my expectations. It was extremely hard to critique and after listening to a few songs, I realized any of them could have gotten a perfect score, so it ultimately boiled down to my personal taste, which didn't make judging much easier since I am open to almost any kind of music (except pop, which can suck it). Some of the things I commented on might be different from what others think, but these critiques are just my opinion and what I thought while playing through the level. Music is too objective to have any single winner, but these are my thoughts on each piece.

Building off of Windbreaker's thoughts, I congratulate all the participants on their songs. The scores were much closer than I imagined they would have been. Hopefully for future contests, more people will join.

These 12 songs now make up the Lh'owon Album. You can get it on the new Fileball.

The final M2 Soundtrack will feature the song that received the highest rating for its corresponding level. Here are the first 3 tracks:

Its just like the story of the grasshopper and the octopus. All year long the grasshopper kept burying acorns for winter while the octopus mooched off his girlfriend and watched TV. Then the winter came, and the grasshopper died, and the octopus ate all his acorns and also he got a racecar. Is any of this getting through to you?Favorite quoteASYMPOTATOEShttp://asympotatoes.blogspot.com/[viral]